The 2022 Virginia Regional Middle School Science Bowl winning team was from Longfellow Middle School and included (l-r) Anderson Hao, Jake Kim, Oliver Wang, Clement Ding, Coach James Bradford and Eric Xie.
Longfellow Middle School, located in Falls Church, Virginia, has won the 2022 Virginia Regional Middle School Science Bowl Competition
NEWPORT NEWS – This past weekend, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility virtually hosted 14 teams as they vied for the Virginia Regional Middle School Science Bowl champion title. Longfellow Middle School in Falls Church took first place and the honor of representing Virginia in the National Science Bowl® Finals competition this spring.
“All of the teams represented their schools well in this year’s competition. And because of that, the final rounds were real nail-biters! In the end, our winning team pulled ahead to take the title,” said Steve Gagnon, a Jefferson Lab Science Education staff member and the lead organizer of the event. “This is the second year that we’ve held the Virginia Regional Science Bowl as a virtual event, and we’re proud that we have been able to continue to offer students the opportunity to compete.”
Members of the Longfellow Middle School team received a team trophy, individual participant medals, a Virginia Regional Science Bowl banner and $750 to be used toward its STEM programs. Other top-placing teams were also awarded. Cooper Middle School in McLean placed second and earned a team trophy and $500. BASIS Independent McLean placed third and earned a team trophy and $300. Finally, the team from Carson Middle School in Herndon placed fourth and earned a team trophy.
The virtual regional events being held in this year’s National Science Bowl feature a unique format. Rather than facing off head-to-head in heated matches, each team had the opportunity to answer 18 toss-up questions per round, with each worth four points. Correct toss-up answers unlocked additional bonus questions, which were worth an additional 10 points when answered correctly. Each team’s total points were tallied and compared to determine the top-placing teams in what are traditionally round robin and elimination rounds.
Each team was comprised of three-five middle school students and a teacher who serves as both advisor and coach. Participating teams were quizzed on their knowledge of math and a range of science disciplines, including biology, chemistry, earth science, physics and energy.
As the top-placing team at the Virginia regional competition, Longfellow Middle School will represent Virginia in the National Science Bowl® finals in a virtual preliminary competition on May 7. The top eight middle school teams will advance to the in-person championship tournament to be held in July.
The National Science Bowl® has been sponsored annually by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science since 1991. Since its inception, approximately 325,000 students have participated in the National Science Bowl®. Each year, more than 14,000 students compete. The competition is meant to encourage students to excel in math and science and to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math.
The DOE’s Office of Science manages the National Science Bowl® and sponsors the finals competition. The Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time.
To learn more about DOE's National Science Bowl competition, visit: https://science.osti.gov/wdts/nsb
For sample sets of questions and answers that have been used in previous competitions, visit: https://science.osti.gov/wdts/nsb/regional-competitions/resources/MS-Sa…
Contact: Kandice Carter, Jefferson Lab Communications Office, kcarter@jlab.org